Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-07-02
WHITE SLAVERY IN PENNSYLVANIA
sffners who Are Threatened a. IL
They Were Doys-"Pluck Me
Stores aud Cut-throat Leases.

ST z miners az the HaZeibrook co..
liery Of ). Wentz & Co.. their griey-
auces and their oppression. has been
oyer6rawn.
To-day your correspondent spent
some hours among the miserable hoveis
IA which are herded the men who work
for the company. In no other way can
al ides be gsined Of the condition 10
which these unfortunates have been
reduced bv years Of systematic oppres-
son.
The coiliery is situated in the heart
o; the wilderness, some two miles from
tie line OF the Hszelton division of the
Lehigh VALLEY railroad. About four
l. Indrcd wards from the coliiery, scat
tered amid rock and tree stUmps stand
= collection of shuntes. some twenty
i've in number. each containing two
rooms and a little extension. which
answers the purpose Of kitchen. The
bunses are built Of rough hemlock
boards and are elevated some four feet
ABOVE The ground. Ia the floors and
valls are gaping cracks between the
cards through which you cold thrust
your head.
In these huts. with wind. rain and
snow driving through the crevices. the
ID ners and their families have to eX-
j.. the year around.
The, have no optiOn-fOr two miles
10 every direct on there are no other
houses. The COMPANY, though IL does
not own the land, controls il under a
lease. They will not suitcase one foot
Of it and. even mad the poor miner the
means, be j q ven no chance Of making
Tor himself better home.
But The company has taken effective
means 70 prevent II N ever getting the
means 20 I've better where he j. or
move TO better places. The Ubiquitous
cUmpany-stor e system, the evils of
which were So glazing that the lesisla-
,ure Of Pennsylyau a forbade II under
Geavy penalty, is IN vogue here IN It's
worst and most oppressive form. The
company have established store AZ
which they claim TO sell everything
needed, and have issued their fiat that
the men must trade nowhere else.
They have also effectually taken it
ut of the power Of the men 70 90 else
where if they WISHED. Completely con-
rolling the land. they nave forD dGen
any other merchant or dealer 10 come
Or the ground, and if the men purchase
goods elsewhere they cannot have them
delivered. There Is no public roads
through the land. and several merchants
N Freeland aud other neigh boring
towns vino sought 20 sell their goods TO
the miners have been warned, under
penalty of arrest for trcspass, not 10
venture on the compauy'S land,
The company thus ENJOYS perfect
monopoly OF the trade, and can eXtort
what they please. They charge fully
20 per cent. more than the regular rate
for all goods sold, and-in direct v. ola
lion of the law OF the state-deduct the
bills from the miners pay.
Besides the deductions for store sup
plies the miners rent, his powder oil.
coal, use of team to haul the coal, MS
laid. if he is single man. and even
the charges for the priest and doctor
(who are paid monthly b. the company
TO look after the sp rituai aud physical
welfare OF the mem, are deducted from
the miners pay. No matter now much
man may earn in a month the de-
auctions invariably amount TO as much
or more than his wages, and il is an
actual fact that out of fourteen men
spoken to by your correspondent not
one had received a cent OF money for
Hie months for wages earned, except
one. who q few days ago received
$50
] rs deprived of everything but the
bar, necessities of b,e. never allowed
TO q ain possession Of Il few dollars to
eDah.a them to better their condition,
what are the men to do? They can do
nothing but submit to the shameful
system Of oppression.
Six months ago the men commenced
to Join the Knights of Labor. The
foreman exerted all the pressure posi-
ble Oh men known TO be Knights aud
succeeded in getting many to withdraw.
Ihe engineer, Frank Steele. refused 20
leave the order and shortly afterward
WIS discharged, ostgnsibly for negli-
gencr. The men believed he had beer
. victim zed aud demanded his re .nstaLe-
meni. This was refused aud a strika
followed.
Then the company proceeded 10
show their power. NJ SCRABBLE as are
,.e huts in VIII ch the men I've they
en- only gain the right to occupy them
~ signing leases which place then
beyond the pale Of legal protec ton. IL
there iron-clad documents, copies o
which are now on lille in the court
house in this city, the men waive al
the tights and protect on TO which thel
are entitled under the law. They agree
tina. the moment they cease TO work
for he company they must leave the
bou- they agree that the COMPANY
ma, 20 any time. on ten days notice
evlc: ,hem and their families, and eacl
has - On an ''amicable suit in eject.
! menl." b. which thew formally adm
that they are Illegally occupying the
writ can be issued without trial an,
the tenant and his goods thrown on
al the ccmpany's pleasure.
Acting on these leases the company
eight days after the strike served no
tee on nineteen families to get out
aud on Saturday last brought the dep
utv sheriff and a force Of Coal and Iro
pol ce to enforce the notices. 81
families were driven from their misel
able homes and all they possessed /
the world thrown out after them No
one ~ these was possessed of a singl
doll 10 help him in his need, and hi